Where the flag feels like home: How Emiratis carry UAE National Day across generations

Dubai: Every December, as the UAE’s skies turn crisp and clear, the UAE National Day brings with it a familiar kind of warmth, one that gathers Emiratis around tables, farms, freejs, and family homes in celebrations that feel both deeply personal and universally shared.

The UAE marks its founding with Eid Al Etihad, a celebration that honours the unity of the seven emirates and the pride of everyone who calls the country home.

Whether in a grandparent’s majlis or a family farm house, the day often begins with a gathering. Emirati pilot and comedian, Emirati Pilot and comedian, Rashed Alfalasi, describes how his celebration has evolved with age. As a child, the excitement came from roaming the streets with friends; today, the joy is in the calm; barbecuing at home, sitting with extended family, and watching everyone contribute food and activities. It’s a shift he welcomes. “You appreciate the calm more; you appreciate the people around you more,” he reflects.

For Dr. Adel, an Emirati physician, the family gathering carries a deeper meaning. His relatives still come together in the grandparents’ home, children wearing traditional clothing while his mother, ever the teacher, prepares quizzes about UAE history. He sees these moments as a chance to remind younger generations how far the country has come. “Life is busy, but on National Day you have time to explain how the UAE was built and why it matters,” he says.

Despite differences in setting, both men share one belief: the extended family remains the anchor of National Day, a living reminder of the country’s values.

For many Emiratis, the “freej” (neighborhood) remains a symbol of community. National Day is painted in childhood colors, family gatherings, festive outfits chosen days in advance, and above all, the energy of community where pride is a friendly competition. Sally Saeed, an Emirati TV presenter, producer and writer, recalls how her neighborhood transformed each year, homes decorated, children practicing traditional dances, and others preparing poems to recite. What she once described as feeling like a carnival was really a collective expression of pride, each family adding their own touch. “Everyone tried to show their love for the UAE in their own way,” she says.

Girls wear traditional clothing which they prepared weeks in advance, boys perform traditional dances, and families boast flags as tall as their houses. “It’s like a carnival of pride,” Sally says. “Who loves the UAE more? Who has the biggest flag?” The atmosphere is loud, loving, and unmistakably Emirati.

The traditions haven’t faded with time. “We celebrated in school, in the neighborhood, with family, in university, at work… It’s everywhere,” she says. The continuity is the celebration itself, alive in every age group, every corner of the country.

No National Day story is complete without food; its scent, its symbolism, its nostalgia. Families across the UAE prepare dishes like rgag, chbab, balaleet, threed, luqimat, and many dilāl of karak, each plate tied to childhood memories or treasured family recipes.

On her family farm in Al Aweer, Amina Taher, Chief Marketing Officer at Wio Bank, spends National Day surrounded by relatives, friends, and anyone else who feels like family, because in Emirati culture, hospitality stretches far beyond bloodlines. Although she’s disciplined about her routine most days of the year, she admits National Day becomes her annual indulgence. “It’s my excuse to enjoy the traditional foods I love, especially chbab with karak,” she laughs.

For many, including Sally Saeed and Dr. Adel, the food is less about the specific dishes and more about what they represent; contribution, togetherness, and the continuation of traditions that have lasted for generations.

Across all the shared memories, whether in a farm, a freej, or a family home, runs the same intention: to ensure the UAE’s story is passed on. Families take children to cultural souqs to choose a kandora, thob, or dress for the day, traditional clothing you won’t find in fancy malls as Dr. Adel puts it. They sit with them to explain how the nation was formed and what values shaped its rise. These moments, small as they may seem, stay alive in memory.

Amina believes this continuity grounds people in their identity. “No matter how advanced we become, National Day keeps you connected to who you are,” she says. And her message to both Emiratis and expats carries the spirit of the celebration: “Be the best version of yourselves. We are all ambassadors of this country.”

Though each Emirati family celebrates in its own way, some quietly, some energetically, the emotion behind it remains remarkably consistent. National Day is not defined by the size of the gathering, the volume of the celebration, or the number of decorations, but by the warmth of connection and the pride of belonging.

It is a day that honors not just the UAE’s history, but the families who carry that history forward, one shared meal, one beautifully decorated freej, and one heartfelt story at a time.